


Minutes by minutes

by Kerguelenn



Series: 13 Reasons Why Imagines [2]
Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-06
Updated: 2017-06-06
Packaged: 2018-11-09 22:58:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11114661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kerguelenn/pseuds/Kerguelenn
Summary: You come from France and you’re lucky enough to study during a year in an American High School. You’re trying to study in the library but Clay catch you reading and then everything get out of hands.





	Minutes by minutes

**Author's Note:**

> So this story is completely based on what I know on American High School : nothing except what I see on TV. So I’m sorry if it’s wrong, or completely judgemental, tell me I just want to do good, and because Jeff Atkins Deserves Better.
> 
> Pairing: Jeff Atkins x Reader(you)
> 
> Y/N: Your Name
> 
> Y/L/N: Your Last Name

It’s Tuesday afternoon, and you’re sitting in Liberty High School’s Library for more than an hour. But your math’s book is still not open because you’re distracted, by the book you’re reading. The book you know by hearts but still, it’s to powerful to let it down. And it’s almost the end so why stop now?  
You’re so taken by the scene that you don’t see someone approaching your table. You don’t hear them either. So imagine your surprise when suddenly your book his taken away from your hand.  
“Hell no! What the…” You’re looking at the person who standing next to you.  
“Clay? Why do you just stole my book. I was reading!”  
“I saw that, thanks Y/N. You’re supposed to study maths. You know, for the test. Tomorrow?”  
“I know that Clay. I’m French, not stupid. Now, p give me my book back.”  
“No please?”  
“Pleaaaase.” You give him you puppy eyes trying to catch your book but Clay just put it behind his back.  
“No Y/N, you have to study. So no book for you.”  
“Why everyone is always stealing my books. Between Skye, Tony, Zach, Hannah and you I can’t even read one word.”  
“Probably because you asked us Y/N.”  
“I knooooow, but i was joking Clay.”  
“Really? Because you ask five differents person to do the same things. To take away the book you were reading when you were supposed to study. So, if you ask me, I think you really meant it. So here I am, stealing your books till you’re capable to do this exercise.” You’re trying to find an argument who could force Clay to give you back your book but you know he’s right.  
“Fine.” You read the page Clay just give it to you when you exclaimed “Jensen, there five of them! It will take me hours!”  
“You can do it Y/N.”  
“Stop doing the Yoda things, it’s not helpful. And how do you know I have to study this chapter Jensen?”  
“My girlfriend is in your math’s class Y/N. Sitting right next to you. It’s incredible how you, french people could have so little memory of basic things.”  
“I hate Hannah Baker so much.”  
“Stop saying shit about my girl. You love her. Almost much as I do. And now study.” Clay open you book and throw him just in front of you.  
“Yes daddy. But please, pay attention to my book alright. Skye always hide them in the school and i spent hours trying to find them. Zach put them in is basket ball bag and if you want my opinion, it doesn’t smell good in there. Tony put car's oil all over it and Hannah read them and only give them back to me when she finished it. Please Jensen, take care of my child, it’s one of my favorite.” Your voice broke dramatically and you put your right hand on your heart for more impact.  
“Yes Y/N, I will take care of your book. What is it anyway? Antigone, never heard of it.”  
“Oh my… Such despair in this country. Antigone is a tragedy written by Jean Anouilh during WW2. It’s inspired by another tragedy write by Racine but that not the point. Antigone go against the rules to make sure her two oldest brothers gets the funeral they deserves. Even if her uncle, the new king forbids it, promising her she will die, she still doing it because it’s the right things to do. She was scared and in love but she ready to sacrifice it for her brother. She was brave. But that not the only things that matters, it’s also why the author decide to write Antigone in 1942. In 1942, France is occupied. And even if the President Petain ask to the people to stop fighting, there is others, who ask to keep fighting till they get their freedom back. That’s why Antigone is so good. She’s ready to die for the right things, she’s a hero.”  
Clay look at you a little surprise and you know you just probably sounds crazy but you love this story so much that you couldn’t stop.  
“I need to read it. Can I borrow yours Y/N?”  
“If you capable to read it in French, go ahead. But I think Skye have it in English, she would probably lend it to you. If you ask her gently… Or offers her Reese. She’s crazy about them.” You smile at him.  
“I always offer her Reese when I did somethings stupid and I need her help. Since she knows the tricks now, I can’t used it for anything else Y/N. But I will ask her with my puppy eyes, if Tomy can say no to this face I can’t see how Skye can say no to it.”  
“You such a demon Clay Jensen.”  
“I learn from the best Y/N Y/L/N.”  
“You know how to speak to women Jensen.” Clay sit next to you and you play with your sleeves smiling how lucky you are to have find so good friends in this school in such a little time. “You know if Hannah wasn’t dating you, I probably would.”  
“Not possible, there’s Tony and Jeff who already put an offer on me in case Hannah break up with me.”  
You laugh a little before remembering you’re in the library and peoples are trying to study all around you.  
“You are the most perfect boy I ever met Clay Jensen but I need to study now and if you stay here, you’re only going to distracted me. I love youuu.” You try to push him away but he only laugh by your antics.  
“I’m not studying, I’m tutoring and since have issue in math I could help you, because, I pretty good in math.”  
“Okay, okay, the whole world know how good you are in everything. But you’re tutoring, and I don’t want to bother you or the student you tutoring.”  
“Y/N you’re not a bother and jeff will specially not mind if you’re here.” Your heart stop for a second.  
“You’re tutoring Jeff? Jeff Atkins?”  
“Erh yeah, since I don’t know? Six months? Do you pay attention when I speak Y/N or you just love ignoring me.”  
‘No, Clay. i know you’re tutoring Jeff, what I mean is that you’re tutoring him right now. In this Library?”  
“Yes Y/N, I going to tutoring Jeff here, in this library. When he will show up obviously. Where do you except I tutor him? In the baseball fields? In the bathroom?”  
“Stop messing with me Clay. It’s not funny, not right now.” You’re trying to gather your things before the baseball player decide to show up. You’re also trying to keep your breathe under control.  
“Y/N, what’s happening, what are you doing.”  
“I’m getting out Clay.”  
“No, you have to study.”  
“I know, i know.” You sit back, and take deep inspiration to control your heart. “Then you have to go. You have to tutoring in another place.”  
“What? You’re joking, I not leaving if you're in this state. What’s happening Y/N?”  
You know you have to tell him, you already find it magical that Hannah or Tony still haven’t told him but he is one of your best friend.  
“Can you remember the last I could stay next to Jeff more than five minutes?”  
“What?”  
“Can you remember it Clay? No, right? Because it’s true. I never spent more than five minutes with Jeff since my first few weeks here.”  
Clay looks at you a little lost. “Did he hurt you?”  
“Come on Jensen, beside you he’s probably the nicest guy in school. He didn’t hurt me I just develop an huge crush on him. And I thought he was interested but then I learn I was just dreaming.” You try to push your hair away, distracting yourself.  
“What do you mean Y/N?“  
"You know, we were always together. He take me to school in the morning, he take me back to my home. He always eat with me, us. I used to study while he was practicing and was always with him the weekend. It was like a dream, you know. When I first came here, I was so scared. Away from home, away from my friends, from all the things I know about life. So I decide to go to a movie. I met you that night, with Hannah. I wanted to talked to you, ask you something but nothing came out of my mouth. But then, when the movie end my car just broke and you saw me there, trying to understand what happened, and you said you knew someone. You called Tony and Hannah and you stay with me till Tony appears. I will never have enough word to thanks all the three of you for how much I owe you. Hannah bring me back home, and Tony give me his address for the next day.”  
“I know that Y/N, I was there.”  
“I know you was here Clay but you need the entire pictures to understand. The three of you became my friends, a week before school starts. The three of you save me. But Jeff make me love USA so much. I fell in love of this place like I kinda fell in love with Jeff. You were like the fantastic four, you still are. But I had to just stop. With Jeff. We were nothing, but it was like we were. And now, I can’t be close to him without my heart going crazy, and if he’s in the same room I can’t even concentrate. That’s why I can’t study here if you tutoring Jeff.”  
“Why do you never tell us about it. We always thought you were going to become a couple. So what happened?”  
“I met Sara.”  
“Sara who?”  
“Sara Daxton, Jeff girlfriend. With whom he have an on/off relationship since Junior? You don’t know who she is? God Clay, blonde, the same height as me and an amazing bitchy smile she always wore.”  
“Ah yeah, always trying to steal Sheri’s place right?”  
“Yeah this one, you’re so slow Jensen. So after she threaten me I start avoiding Jeff and it’s was as the same time that I miss France and my family. It was harder, it’s the moment I pulled away, you remember right.” He nod his head and you keep talking. “I felt so lost and sad that I ask to came home, I pack my things and that’s when Zach saves me. I know you never understand how we became close or how we stay friends but he saves me. I was drowning, of fears, loneliness.”  
“You weren’t alone Y/N, we were there."Clay looks so hurt that you hate yourself.  
"I know Clay but I didn’t want to tell you how much I miss home you know, I thought you would think or believe I didn’t want to be here, or with you anymore. Zach find me, one night crying outside in a park. He sit next to me and hold me. I never speak to him before that night but he hold me and let me cry on his shoulder. He listen to me. After that night, it’s him who bring me to school and back home. He make me laugh, he try to learn french and I try to learn basketball. We get closer each day, that’s why I’m always in school the saturday. He always come playing in the morning, and then there the game in the afternoon. So I’m always there. And then I’m with you and Hannah or sometimes with Tony who teach me about car but I’m never with Jeff now. Not since Sara Daxton ”  
“But you know Jeff and Sara..” But Clay never had the chance to finish his sentence because a large book of history fell on our table  
.“Clay, I’m waiting for you in our usual table, why are you here. Oh hey Y/N.”  
”Hi Jeff” Your voice sound so shy that it must be like a little girl just talk.  
”You’re staying with us?”  
Clay looks a little alert by Jeff’s question but you offer him a reassuring look.  
”No, I have to go I can’t stay here.”  
”Why? Because it’s looks like you’re studying maths for what it's look.”  
“Errrr. You see I…” But you can’t find anything who could be plausible.  
“I have her book. So it’s actually us who have to move.”  
“Clay, her book is just in front of us.”  
“Not this book, this one” he show Jeff Antigone, the tragedy you were reading before everything.”You see Y/N ask me and a few other people to away take away the book she was reading when she was supposed to study. And that’s what she was reading when I came here waiting for you. And since I wanted to be sure she study we need to go somewhere else.”  
“Okay, I think Y/N is capable enough to be able to study in the same room as the book. We just have to go at another table.”  
“NO!” Clay and you screamed at the same time. It’s amazing how he try to help you on this.  
“It’s her favorite book Jeff, she knows it by heart but she always get to deep in it. She even get exclude in some class because she didn’t want to stop reading. So yes we have to study somewhere else because I would like to keep my head on my neck thank you very much Atkins.”  
“Really Y/N? What’s this book talk about.”  
“I already tell Clay, I’m sure he can give you summary.” You turn your head to Clay and smile at him “So i do this five exercises and then I give them to you and you give me back my book?”  
“Deal. You text me when you’re finished and I will text you our location.”  
“See you later boys.” You put your headphones and try not to look at Jeff leaving the library. It was close by still four month to go.

You spent two hours trying to understand maths and you succeed to do the five exercice Clay give to you. Even if you would have prefer to go through hell you still did it. You grab your phone and find Clay’s number.  
To: C Fucking Jensen  
Done, where’s my baby Jensen. mama wants to read.  
From C Fucking Jensen  
I take it back from Jeff who stole it from me and then read it and then completely ignore me till he suddenly notice your books was written in french. And then he was sad because he couldn’t read it so he makes me called Hannah to know if she had it in comprehensive language. So, I hate Antigone so much that I don’t want to give it back to you.  
From: C Fucking Jensen  
Sorry, forgot, we’re outside, on the table you always sit when you’re waiting for Zach  
To: C Fucking Jensen  
on my way BOY

You see them pretty quickly, Clay is at the table, like he told you reading Jeff’s paper and playing with his pen at the same time. Jeff on the other side is a few meter away, doing push ups, shirtless. It’s been so long that you didn’t watch him train that you (almost) forgot what he looks likes. Even if he’s away you can perfectly see his abs. Holy hell.  
“Can you make sure I did them right please? I know you already have so much to do but please.” Clay looks at you and offer you his special smile that you always loved.  
“Don’t worry Y/N, I will look at them tonight and I call you if you need help. And take back your books back please.”  
“Thanks Clay, see you later.”  
“Where are you going?”  
“Zach is waiting for me, he got practice. See you tomorrow, Love you. Bye Jeff.” You look back at the baseball player really briefly before heading back inside trying to go the gymnasium without thinking about a shirtless Jeff Atkins.  
Obviously, you fail. You hear the main doors opening but you’re not br  
ave enough to look at who it is, scared of being let down by your fucking dreams.  
” Y/N, wait!“  
"Oh Jeff, hm, I’m sorry but I really need to go, like I said I promise Zach I will cheers him during the practice.” You smile at him.  
“Like you used to do it for me.” He almost whispers it, and you’re not sure you were supposed to heard it.  
“What?”  
“Why did you stop coming to my game Y/N?” You’re so taken aback by his sudden question that you start choking.  
“What? What are you talking about Jeff?”  
“You stop coming Y/N. During practice and for the game. Why?"He could almost think he’s hurt by your absence bit you can still hear Sara’s voice on your head. She’s the only one for him and that’s okay, you only have four months in this school before you have to get back home.  
"I didn’t stop coming to the game. I’m always here Jeff, even if it’s raining or snowing. I would probably be here even if zombie decide to kill us all. You just doesn’t notice me. It’s okay, I always hide myself”  
“But why did you stop talking to me, or hanging or even smiling Y/N? What did I do?”  
Why do you always want to kiss him? Why Jeff Atkins had to be so cute? Why do the world hate you that much?  
“Because of Sara.” You don’t even know how the get out of your mouth but they’re out and you can’t stop the disaster now. And you’re not running away either. So better come clean right.  
“Your girlfriend threaten me. That’s not your fault Jeff, that’s mine. I have this crush on you and I guess I wasn’t discreet as I thought I was. And Sara discovered it. So I’m sorry, I’m…”  
“God, Y/N you’re here, I been looking for you for so long. Justin want to beat me but I can’t win if my lucky charm is not with me.”  
You didn’t even notice Zach was here. He question you with his eyes, trying to know if you’re okay.  
“I’m sorry Jeff, I really have to go. We will talk later okay.”  
You go to Zach trying not to look back at the boy who doesn’t understand why he have to let you go. You already to deep to do it yourself, you need him to push you away.  
“What was that about?”  
“Despair from my part. Lack of understanding from him. It’s like he doesn’t know, like he have no idea how much I love him.”  
“You know Y/N from what I saw, I almost sure he loves you too.”  
You sigh “ It’s not possible Zach.”  
“Why are you always saying that when we talk about Jeff’s feelings for you? Why?”  
“You know why Zach, Jeff cannot have romantic feelings for me. Change of subjects.”  
“No Y/N, I’m not letting you keep living miserably because you do not believe me.”  
“It’s not that I don’t believe you Zach, it’s just impossible.”  
“WHY Y/N?” Okay, you didn’t expect him to scream.  
“Zach, Justin he’s waiting for you. We need to get there before he start saying you get scared by the little challenge.” You walk past him, try to put some distance between the both of you but his hand find yours and hold you before he force you to looks at him.  
“Y/N, you’re going to talk to me, right now, right here. No more excuses, no more changes of subjects. Just you, me and your feelings for Jeff Atkins.”  
You tried to push him away, to get away from his embrace but he’s to strong and a little part of you wants him to know.  
“He can’t have feelings for me because of Sara Daxton, his girlfriend. She threaten me when we were really close, with Jeff. She said she could make my life a living hell in a few seconds. So, I stay away from Jeff, like she asked me.”  
“What, but why do you believe her?”  
“Don’t you see how student treat each other here? Did you ever get into the girl’s bathroom? Do you know what’s written on the walls? How many’s girl’s name are next to the word bitch or whore? Do you know how teenagers are judgemental, how girls are always judging? For everything? Do you remember the list that travel through the entire school in Sophomore year?”  
“Yeah, but, but you weren’t…”  
“I weren’t here Zach but I still heard about it, I read it for God’s sake. I see how girls has been treated by boy. How Hannah been treat. And before we become friends you were part of the stupid jocks who can’t show a piece of respect. That’s why i believe Sara, i fell in love of her boyfriend and she was right, I needed to back off.”  
“Jeff Atkins never date Sara Daxton.”  
“What are you talking about?” You ask not sure if you heard right was Zach just told.  
“I didn’t have a girlfriend since freshman years.” A voice said behind your back. You don’t have to turn around to know who it is. You know this voice by heart. “ And if I was dating Sara Daxton ,and I’m not, i assure you, I would have break up with her the moment I start having romantic feelings for you.” You did turn around at the end, because you can’t keep yourself to look at him. Zach moves from behind you and walk to Jeff. “Don’t hurt her or I will break you man even if you’re the freaking Jeff Atkins.”  
“Don’t worry, not happening. But I hope you’re ready to share her.”  
“If I can have her in saturday, and bring her back from school two day/week?”  
“Deal Dempsey.” They smiled at each other, completely ignoring you.  
“Boys, I’m right here and I decide with who I want to spent time.”  
“I need to go lovebirds, I have to win a bet!” Say your best friend before running away. Okay, did he just ignore you? again?  
“So Sara really threaten you?”  
“Yes. She scared the hell out of me.”  
“It’s one of the biggest rumors of the school. And I don’t even know how people can believe it!”  
You looked up at him trying to know if he’s messing with you “Really Atkins? Everytime I look at you, she’s close to you. During the break, the lunch, even the night when you’re out. To the movie, to Rosie. So, either you’re dating her and you’re lying to me right now or she following you all day and all night. And if it’s the last, then you should pay attention. She could kill you without anyone seeing it.”  
“I never noticed it.”  
“Maybe you should try to pay attention to your environnement Atkins, you could miss something.”  
You turn you back at him, walking to your car and planning to drive far away from here ‘cause everything just come to shit.  
“Y/N wait! Where do you think you’re going.”  
“I’m running away Jeff, can’t you see it? I need to breathe”  
“Then I’m coming with you!” God, what does Life hate you so much.  
“Jeff, i want to be alone.” You try to make him understand that you need a break, but he keep following you.  
He grabs your left wrist making you stop in your walk “Wait Y/N, you think I’m will let you run away from me for the second time this year? Now that I know why it’s happened the first time. No, not going to happened babe.”  
“I’m not your babe Atkins.”  
“I assure you that you, Y/N, are my babe. I’m not going to lose anymore days is this fucking things. You have a crush on me, maybe you even love me Y/N and you know what? That’s perfect, because I love you too. So screw Sara, the other students, everyone. Screw them. I want you and I know you want me too.”  
He is so close to you that you can smell is perfume and his eyes are so bright that you forget how to breath. His lips looks so attractive that you forget where you are, or who you are because the only things that matters is that Jeff Atkins is looking at you. And that’s when you decide it’s the perfect time to kiss him.  
Exactly at the same time that the Liberty High School Bell’s decide to ring. So, here you are, in the middle of the High School’s hall, kissing the boy you love since the first weeks at school and every students are looking at you.  
But you don’t care. You can’t, kissing Jeff is all you ever dream. it’s perfect, sweet, fierce and strong. You both tried to be the stronger one, taking the power. But it doesn’t matter who win or who lose.  
“Get away from my man bitch! How many times do I need to tell you to back off?” Someone push you away from Jeff, making you felt on the floor. The shock from the fell make you feel dizzy and you take a moment to get your breath in check before you stand up again.  
“Seriously Daxton! Why? I’m not your boyfriend, we never go out for a date, I never kiss you. Can you just leave me alone? I let this stupid rumours about both of us travel in the entire school for two years. I let you spread lie because I didn’t care. But now I learn that you threaten Y/N if she try something with me! Are you crazy? No, actually, I know you are but that’s bad. Sara, you can’t do that! You can’t threaten people even if the like someone you liked too! And you can’t force me to like you. I like Y/N, god, i love her. And I could have been with her for month now but you threaten her and she listen to you.”  
“Jeff, stop, please listen to me…” She doesn’t looks so sure of herself right now, in front of Jeff, you, her entire cheers squad and all of the student who stay for the show.  
“I don’t want to listen to you Sara. I always been nice to you, never ask you to stop the rumours. But you need to stop now. I love her, and she loves me. And I don’t want you to make her doubt, I don’t want her to start asking herself if this, us, worth the pain.”  
You go to Jeff side, putting yourself in front of him facing Sara. When Jeff talk to her you saw how her face fell. You understand why Sara act like that, you can guess.  
“Sara, it’s okay to feel alone. It’s okay to wake up in the morning and feel bad. It’s okay to want to cry someday, it’s okay because we are human. We’re not perfect, no one is. You don’t have to act like a bitch. So yeah, I understand if sometimes you want to make the world see how bad you feel. To want someone to notice you. And you know, no one care if you date someone. No one forces you, and no one expect you to do it. You’re eighteen and free. You can do everything one you want.” Her mouth is wide open and you don’t know what you’re saying but you can’t stop now. “You know, I think we could have been friends if you’ld have give me a chance. But you didn’t so… But just for your info, I love Jeff and I will not let you scare me. Once, I let you take away my chance to be with him but I’m not going to do the same mistakes. So either you threatening me or you finally let us live in peace.”  
You almost catch your breath when you stop talking. When you wake up this morning you didn’t expecting this.  
You can feel Jeff breathing in the crook of your neck and gently stroke your arm.  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about Y/L/N” Spit Sara and walk pass by you with her squad.  
You look back at Jeff, smiling at him. “Did she just walk away from us? Did she finally leave us alone.” the baseball player nod before you jump in his arm and kiss him on his lips.

When you finally broke apart your smile is so big that you scared it will be stuck on your face for ever.  
“Are you ready for our first date Y/N Y/L/N?”  
“You have no idea Jeff.”

\---

“I love you so much Jeff Atkins.”  
You are lying on the floor, watching the star on the sky, holding Jeff’s hands. You can’t believe you’re here with him.  
“And I love you so much Y/N. More than you will ever know.”


End file.
